Graphic Agitation [Paperback]

Liz McQuiston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 9, 1995

Graphic art is a powerful weapon of protest and propaganda, shock and subversion. From the revolutionary Sixties to the present, Graphic Agitation explores the many ways in which graphic art and design have addressed social and political issues around the globe. Covering a broad range of subject areas including war, peace, ecology, health and sexual politics, the book features the work of some of the design world's best-known personalities as well as the graphics of anonymous protest. In addition to its striking visual impact, this unique collection of images presents a memorable reflection of the social concerns and political struggles of our age.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The global use of graphics for propaganda and protest is surveyed in this vibrant album. The 300 color photographs reproducing posters, billboards, ads, T-shirts and graffiti occasionally portray the graphic voice of the establishment (e.g., U.S. presidential campaign paraphernalia) but mostly feature dissent and agitation on behalf of human rights, environmentalism, anti-war and anti-nuclear protest, feminism, sexual politics, gay rights, AIDS awareness, the struggle for racial equality, the end to apartheid and poverty and drug abuse and homelessness. McQuiston, an American graphic designer based in Britain, sets works by Jenny Holzer, Keith Haring, Tomi Ungerer and Roy Lichtenstein alongside graphics by less well-known artists from Czechoslovakia to Malaysia. The book is an enlightening, kinetic social history of political graphics and a rich resource for artists, designers and activists.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Both these books could be described as samplers offering some fine examples of the aesthetics of recent graphic art. At that point the similarity ends. Poynor's book opens with a too-brief, name-dropping introduction in which he attempts to justify his selections, situate the pieces in an aesthetic context, and trace the recent history of design. The founding editor of Eye and author of Typography Now (North Light Bks., 1993), Poyner fills the following 200 pages with full-color reproductions, identified simply by title, purpose, designers, and design firm. His selections are drawn strictly from this decade, mostly from the United States, Great Britain, and the Netherlands, and broadly from the fields of advertising, magazine layout, book/cd jacket design, and fine arts promotion. For its wealth of examples of very recent and sometimes obscure work, The Graphic Edge is recommended for academic libraries serving fine arts programs. McQuiston (graphic art and design, Royal Coll. of Art, London), on the other hand, is concerned equally with content and style. Offering neither historical nor aesthetic continuity, her book instead builds on broad areas of politics and activism, ranging from "National Politics: Politcal Parties, Governments and Leaders" to "Saving the Earth: Ecology and the Green Movement." This lack of strict organization requires a careful, cover-to-cover reading in order to understand the web of influences on and trajectories taken by graphics in the service of politics over the last 30 years. Happily, McQuiston's lucid and fact-filled prose and the accompanying 300 color illustrations make this task a pleasure. Recommended for larger contemporary art collections as well as large academic political science collections.
Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (July 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714834580
• ISBN-13: 978-0714834580
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,154,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Expansive and Engrossing!, February 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Graphic Agitation (Paperback)

Liz McQuiston takes on the world! She gives an excellent overview of protest graphics from every continent (even Antarctica!) and from a very diverse range of debates: democracy movements, debates over reproductive rights, the environment, counter culture, civil rights, AIDS and health awareness and feminism, among many others.

The book is very well designed and will bring back memories. Lots of great colour reproductions and a nice size and paper weight make it an aesthetic treat. It is also a valuable sourcebook for studies in visual culture. Check out the screaming red cover!